Sociology (SOCI)
A survey of the discipline of sociology. Topics will include sociological theory, methods, and selected substantive areas.
A theoretical and empirical analysis of selected major social problems confronting American society.
A comparative study and critique of social though and sociological theories. Special study is made of major sociological theories of the 19th and 20th centuries and the role of theory in empirical social science.
A sociological examination of the institution of religion, its role in society, and its interaction with other social structures and institutions. In particular, this course will explore the influence of religion on social behavior and the role of religion in shaping how we contemplate the world and our place in it.
This comprehensive course explores alcohol and illegal drug use and abuse in society. The primary goal of the course is to engage students in a process of critical thinking about the topic of drugs in American society. Included will be a historic overview, the role of culture in the use of drugs, and legal and social implications of illegal drug use.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This course explores the deeper meanings and social significance of sports in the United States and globally. Particular attention to the relationship between sports and issues of race, gender, class, history, social mobility, education and politics.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This course explores the social construction of gender, gender roles and performance, gender-based stratification, and the role of gender in the institutions of contemporary society.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
Provides students with the basic conceptual and analytical skills for studying the nature and implications of racial and culture diversity. Racial/ethnic groups selected from around the globe are examined in terms of their histories and cultures. The complexity of functioning in the multicultural society of the contemporary United States is explored, and cultural concepts are applied to key social issues associated with diversity.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This course investigates the nature of inequality and stratification, including its forms, causes, and consequences. Literature will be examined from a number of perspectives, including economic inequality, racial inequality, sex and gender inequality, status inequality, and the inequality connected with social movements.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This is an upper division course designed to explore the nature of social deviance at the individual, group, and organizational levels.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This course explores intersectionality by examining the ways in which the social construction of race and gender impacts individuals' life chances and shapes understandings of the self and our perception of others.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This course is designed to increase students' understanding of the history, social relations, problems, and conflicts of the inner city. Through classical and theoretical readings, historical ethnographies, and current case studies, students will gain an in-depth understanding of how and why cities exist, how they have developed, and what impacts they have on individuals and their social relationships.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
Introduction to statistics, including measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability, statistical inference and hypothesis testing, regression and correlation, and analysis of variance.
The course will address how cultural values and social institutions affect and define work. The value that society assigns to different types of work and the impact of that valuation on the individual and members of various social groups will be considered, in light of shifting economies, business models and technology. Modern values will be compared to more traditional viewpoints, including the examination of the role of technology, money and individual choices. As a cross-listed course, Work & Society may not be taken more than once using a different letter prefix, given that only one completion will be counted toward degree requirements.
This course explores the social nature of health and illness, the social organization of health care institutions, differential access to health care in the US and abroad, and selected dilemmas in the ethical delivery of health care.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This course offers a review of the history of African Americans in the United States from a sociological viewpoint. Special attention will be given to important African American sociologists who contributed to our understanding of the Black experience in the United States.
This course is designed to explore the relationship of human aging, individual processes and American society. Though focusing on the sociological aspects of aging, this course also provides an interdisciplinary understanding of aging as a powerful process that reflects the growth and development that takes place later in life and the impact on society that increasingly includes adult populations that are living longer.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
This course examines the relationship between formal law and social institutions. Specifically, the course will focus on the U.S. Constitution, theories of law and law creation, law and inequality, law as a vehicle for social change, and the role of law in modern American society. Some effort will be made to compare law in U.S. society to the development and function of law in other societies.
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with the practice of social science research. The course will cover various aspects of the research process, including research ethics, causal relationships, measurement, sampling and research design.
An exploration of contemporary topics and issues in the field of sociology. This course may be repeated for credit when the topic varies.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
An exploration of contemporary topics and issues in the field of sociology.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
An exploration of contemporary topics and issues in the field of sociology.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
An exploration of contemporary topics and issues in the field of sociology.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
Directed study in sociology may be arranged in consultation with a faculty member and approved by the department chair.
Prerequisites: SOCI 1101
The practicum will constitute an independent (individual or small group) sociological research project. The student will prepare and submit a significant sociological paper and/or project. Requires prior completion of the upper-division Sociology core and approval of Program Coordinator.